Double-Pin Shackle

ABSTRACT

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a double-pin shackle. The double-pin shackle may be comprised of a rigid shackle body capable of being coupled with two shackle pins. The shackle body may be comprised of a bowed shackle end with two shackle arms extending outward and aligning approximately parallel to on another. The double-pin shackle may, in general, form a U-shaped object, clevis or otherwise convex body. At least two shackle pins may be secured perpendicularly through the two shackle arms, thereby connecting the two shackle arms. The shackle pins may serve to allow external objects to be fastened to the double-pin shackle.

RELATED APPLICATION

Under provisions of 35 U.S.C. §119(e), the Applicant claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61/718,475 filed on Oct. 25, 2012, which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

A shackle, also known as a gyve, is a piece of metal secured with a clevis pin or bolt across the opening, or a hinged metal loop secured with a quick-release locking pin mechanism. Shackles are the primary connecting link in all manner of rigging systems, from boats and ships to industrial crane rigging, as they allow different rigging subsets to be connected or disconnected quickly. A shackle is also the similarly shaped piece of metal used with a locking mechanism in padlocks. With the diverse use and functionality, shackles are becoming an integral part of an up-and-coming sport known as slacklining. However, to accommodate the various aspects of the sport, modifications and improvements to the shackle need to be made.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this disclosure, illustrate various embodiments of the present disclosure. The drawings contain representations of various trademarks and copyrights owned by the Applicants. All rights to the trademarks and copyrights represented herein are vested in and the property of the Applicants. The Applicant retains and reserves all rights in the trademarks and copyrights included herein, and grants permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a double-pin shackle;

FIG. 2 illustrates a side view of an embodiment of a double-pin shackle;

FIG. 3 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a double-pin shackle with a webbing; and

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an embodiment of a webbing.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers are used in the drawings and the following description to refer to the same or similar elements. While many embodiments of the present invention may be described, modifications, adaptations, and other implementations are possible. For example, substitutions, additions, or modifications may be made to the elements illustrated in the drawings, and the methods described herein may be modified by substituting, reordering, or adding stages to the disclosed methods. The present disclosure may contain headers. It should be understood that these headers are used as references and are not to be construed in any way as limiting upon the subjected matter disclosed under the header.

Overview

Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a double-pin shackle. The double-pin shackle may be comprised of a rigid shackle body capable of being coupled with two shackle pins. The shackle body may be comprised of a bowed shackle end with two shackle arms extending outward and aligning approximately parallel to on another. The double-pin shackle may, in general, form a U-shaped object, clevis or otherwise convex body. At least two shackle pins may be secured perpendicularly through the two shackle arms, thereby connecting the two shackle arms. The shackle pins may serve to allow external objects to be fastened to the double-pin shackle.

Example Embodiments

FIG. 1 illustrates an embodiment of a double pin shackle 100. Double-pin shackle 100 may be comprised of, for example, but not limited to, stainless steel. However, it should be understood that a double-pin shackle may be comprised of generally any metal or high strength plastic, including but not limited to, steel alloys, iron, aluminum, brass, titanium, bronze, or any combination of the aforementioned materials. Moreover, double-pin shackle 100 may be comprised of a welded or shaped material. The material may be, for example, but not be limited to, rectangular or cylindrical in construction, or a combination thereof. Though the present disclosure makes reference to the material with measurement terms such as “area,” “perimeter,” “radius,” or “circumference,” such terms are used for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting on the shape of the material or the double-pin shackle itself.

For example, though FIG. 1 illustrates a bow-shaped design for double-pin shackle 100, it is still consistent and within the scope of the present disclosure to design double-pin shackle 100 in various other shapes and sizes. In this way, double-pin shackle 100 may be designed in different embodiments to achieve, for example, a variety of strength ratings or design objectives. In various embodiments, a thickness or width of a shackle body 105 and/or shackle pins 110 and 115 may be increased to increase a load bearing capacity or durability of double-pin shackle 100. Furthermore, embodiments of the double-pin shackle 100 may be designed such that the area of the empty space encompassed by the convex bowed end of the shackle may be enlarged or reduced to accommodate a function of the double-pin shackle 100. For example, having an enlarged convex bowed end may provide more space for materials to pass through double-pin shackle 100.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, shackle body 105 may generally comprise a “U” shape. In other embodiments, shackle body 105 may comprise a more circular design wherein the diameter of a circular portion of shackle body 105 may be longer than the distance between the shackle arms. The nature of the shape and area encompassed by shackle body 105 may, for example, allow for a more advantageous load distribution and facilitate various additional functions that could not otherwise be performed by, for example, a shackle with a narrower diameter or reduced perimeter.

In some embodiments, a first shackle arm 120 may have a pair of holes which are aligned with a pair of in a second shackle arm 125. The pair of holes may extend through an entire diameter of each corresponding shackle arm. A first shackle pin 110 may be placed through a first pair of aligned holes in each shackle arm and a second shackle pin 115 may be placed through a second pair of aligned holes in each shackle arm. In this way, each shackle pin may be positioned at a substantially perpendicular angle to the shackle arms 120 and 125, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In various embodiments, shackle pins 110 and 115 may be either threaded or unthreaded and may be comprised of, but not limited to, a clevis pin, a screw pin, a bolt, a through bolt, a screw or the like. In some embodiments, the shackle pins may be coupled to the shackle body by means of a nut screwed onto the end of each shackle pin, as illustrated in FIG. 1. In other embodiments, shackle pins 110 and 115 may be secured to shackle body 105 by any other means that would be known to anyone of skill in the art, for example but not limited to, screwing shackle pins 110 and 115 directly into an internal thread present in one of the shackle arms, or placing a pin such as a split pin, cotter pin or cotter key through the end of a shackle pin to secure it in place.

Still consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, double-pin shackle 100 may not comprise any holes. Rather, in these embodiments, shackle pins 110 and 115 may be incorporated into the material comprising double-pin shackle 100 itself. In turn, pins 110 and 115 may be configured to detach to all for a threading of, for example, a webbing, into double-pin shackle 100, and then reattach, thereby fastening and securing the webbing to double-pin shackle 100.

In some embodiments, shackle pins 110 and 115 may be secured to shackle body 105 in a manner that allows the shackle pins to freely rotate while remaining securely fastened to the shackle body, whereas in other embodiments shackle pins 110 and 115 may be secured to the shackle body in such a way that they may not freely rotate. Such embodiments may allow for a more advantageous load distribution on shackle pins 110 and 115 and facilitate various additional functions that could not otherwise be performed by, for example, a single-pinned shackle.

Consistent with embodiments of the present disclosure, shackle arms 120 and 125 may extend at an angle from the bowed shackle end. Furthermore, in some embodiments, a first pair of aligned holes in each shackle arm through which shackle pin 110 may be inserted may be vertically offset from a second pair of aligned holes through which shackle pin 115 may be inserted, as illustrated in FIG. 2. Such a vertical offset may assist in distributing the force of a load across shackle pins 110 and 115 in a manner designed to prevent tilting or bending of the pin end of the shackle body. Moreover, such a vertical offset may also allow for greater ease of wrapping webbing around the shackle pins. In other embodiments, double-pin shackle 100 may not comprise any vertical off-set, having shackle arms 120 and 125 on a substantially similar plane with shackle body 105.

Double-pin shackle 100 may be used to simultaneously lift multiple objects by suspending the objects by, for example, a webbing, from each shackle pin. Double-pin shackle 100 may also be used to secure ropes, cords, webbing and the like for various applications such as climbing or slacklining. FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a webbing 300 threaded through shackle pins 110 and 115 of double-pin shackle 100. This may be accomplished for example, by looping webbing 300 around shackle pins 110 and 115 in such a manner that the webbing may be tightly secured and will not come loose.

For example, as illustrated in FIG. 4, webbing 300 may be wrapped around shackle pins 110 and 115 in the form of an S-shape. A first portion of webbing 300 which continues out of the top of the “S” of the S-shaped webbing may be draped down the front of the “S” of the S-shaped webbing and then drawn across the bottom of the S-shaped webbing. A second portion of webbing 300 which continues out of the bottom of the “S” of the S-shaped webbing may be guided up the backside of the “S” of the S-shaped webbing and draped down the front of the S-shaped webbing such that it sits on top of the first portion of webbing that was draped down the front of the S-shaped webbing. In this fashion, a double-pin shackle may be operative to lock webbing tightly and securely in place, while preventing any slipping or loosing of the webbing.

The aforementioned uses are illustrative and it should be understood that the double-pin shackle may have a variety of different uses and applications related to lifting and/or securing objects. For example, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, the bowed shackle end of the two-pin shackle may connect to a bolt, a hook, a synthetic sling or some other means of connection operative to secure the two-pin shackle to a wall, ceiling, rock face or any other surface, wherein the double-pin shackle may be used to support a hanging load.

All rights including copyrights in the illustrations included herein are vested in and the property of the Applicant. The Applicant retains and reserves all rights in the illustrations included herein, and grants permission to reproduce the material only in connection with reproduction of the granted patent and for no other purpose.

While the specification includes examples, the present invention's scope is indicated by the following claims. Furthermore, while the specification has been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, the claims are not limited to the features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as example for embodiments of the invention. 

I claim the following:
 1. An apparatus comprising: a semi-circular shaped body; a pair of arms extending from the semi-circular shaped body; a first pin extending through the pair of arms; and a second pin extending through the pair of arms.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising: a first means securing the first pin to the pair of arms; and a second means securing the second pin to the pair of arms.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein each arm of the pair of arms comprises a first hole configured to receive the first pin and a second hole configured to receive the second pin.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pair of arms extend from the semi-circular shaped at an angle relative to a plane of the semi-circular body.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is less than a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is greater than a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is approximately equal to a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 8. A shackle comprising: a semi-circular shaped body; a pair of arms extending from the semi-circular shaped body; a first pin extending through the pair of arms; and a second pin extending through the pair of arms.
 9. The shackle of claim 8, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is less than a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 10. The shackle of claim 8, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is greater than a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 11. The shackle of claim 8, wherein a distance between the pair of arms is approximately equal to a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 12. The shackle of claim 8, further comprising: a first means configured to secure the first pin to the pair of arms; and a second means configured to secure the second pin to the pair of arms.
 13. The shackle of claim 8, wherein each arm of the pair of arms comprises a first hole configured to receive the first pin and a second hole configured to receive the second pin.
 14. The shackle of claim 8, wherein the pair of arms extend at an angle relative to a plane of the semi-circular body.
 15. An apparatus comprising: a bowed shackle body; a first shackle arm comprising a first hole and a second hole; a second shackle arm comprising a third hole and a fourth hole, wherein the first shackle arm is substantially parallel to the second shackle arm, wherein the first hole is at substantially the same location as the third hole relative to its corresponding shackle arm, and wherein the second hole is at substantially the same location as the fourth hole relative to its corresponding shackle arm; a first pin configured to be inserted through the first hole of the first shackle arm and the third hole of the second shackle arm; and a second pin configured to be inserted through the second hole of the first shackle arm and the fourth hole of the second shackle arm.
 16. The apparatus of claim 11, further comprising: a first means to fasten the first pin to the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm; and a second means to fasten the second pin to the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm.
 17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a distance between the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm is less than a diameter of the bowed shackle body.
 18. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a distance between the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm is greater than a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein a distance between the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm is approximately equal to a diameter of the semi-circular shaped body.
 20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the first shackle arm and the second shackle arm extend from the bowed shackle body at an angle relative to the plain of the bowed shackle body. 